Concrete form tie-rod manufacturing machine



J1me 1966 J. A. LEGER 3,254,391

CONCRETE FORM TIE-ROD MANUFACTURING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 livae/va June 7, 1966 J. A. LEGER 3,254,391

CONCRETE FORM TIE-ROD MANUFACTURING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1963 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 V E NTC R.

June 7, 1966 J. A. LEGER CONCRETE FORM TIEROD MANUFACTURING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 20, 1963 I N VEN TOR. ./05 4. [658 UAW/2 477035 4 June 7, 1966 J. A. LEGER 3,254,391

CONCRETE FORM TIE-ROD MANUFACTURING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1963 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. Jasxrw .4. Z2656 Zwm June 7, 1966 J. A. LEGER 3,254,391

CONCRETE FORM TIE-ROD MANUFACTURING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 flan Z0.

June 7, 1966 J. A. LEGER 3,254,391

} CONCRETE FORM TIE-ROD MANUFACTURING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 mmxm Il ll United States Patent CONCRETE FORM This invention relates to wire forming machinery and more especially to a concrete form tie rod manufacturing machine.

An object of the invention is to provide novel improvements in a tie rod manufacturing machine.

Patented June 7, 1966 members 21 and is movable thereon by a screw 43 which I has bearings 44 carried by intermediate frame member Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character described that is automatically operated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine as in the'previous objects that is more efiicient and faster operating than conventional machines of this type.

Other objects and advantages ,of the invention will appear and be brought out more fully in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the concrete form tie rod making machine showing the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view enlarged taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view enlarged taken along line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view enlarged taken along line 6-6 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the chain drive mechanism shown in FIGURES 5, 6 and 7;

FIGURE 9 is a' top view of the Wire straightening mechanism shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view taken along the line 10-10 of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 11 is an elevation view of the tie rod wire heading mechanism as seen from line 11-11 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 12 is a view of the same taken at right angles thereto; and

FIGURE 13 is a perspective view of a completed concrete rod made by the machine of this invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings the machine of this invention comprises a main frame 10 composed of side frame members 11 and 12 and end frame members 13 and 14 respectively. Frame 10 also includes cross frame members 15, 16 and 17 and intermediate frame members 18 and 19 and 20. A pair of auxiliary frame members 21 are secured between auxiliary frame member 18 and side frame member 12.

Frame 10 provides support for a wire straightener 22, a wire feeding unit 23, a guillotine 24, a pair of washer feed units 25 of conventional type, a limit switch assembly 26, a washer fixing unit 27 and a wire header assembly 28.

The wire feeding unit 23 comprises a motor 30 having a shaft 31 which mounts a guide roller 32 and a bevel gear 33. Gear 33 meshes with a bevel gear 34 carried by a shaft 35 which mounts a pulley 36 which drives wire feeding rollers 37 and 37a by a chain 38 for feeding the tie rod wire 40 from a supply coil (not shown) Stop limit switch 26 includes a chassis 41 which is provided with rollers 42 for traction on intermediate frame i 79 (see FIGURE 4).

18 and side frame member 12, the screw being actuatable by a crank '45. Limit switch assembly 26 includes a switch 46 on chassis 41 for controlling motor 30, the switch having a switch arm 47 which is engageable by the end of wire 40 to stop the motor and limit the forward travel of the wire.

-Washer fixing unit-27 comprises a chassis 50 including side members 51 and 52 and end members 53 and 54,

the chassis being provided with rollers 55 for movement along frame cross members 15 and 16. An adjusting screw 56 has a bearing mounting 57 carried by main frarne member 12 and is actuatable by a crank 58. An adjusting screw 56a has a bearing 59 carried by chassis frame member 53 at its other .end and is also actuatable by a crank 60. Screw 56a has right and left hand threads running from each end to the middle thereof for opposite movement of a pair of transfer arms and washer fixing units 70 and 71 to be more fully described hereinafter.

The wire header assembly 28 includes a pair of header units 61 and 62 which are slidable toward and away from each other on a pair of slide guideways 63 secured between intermediate frame members 19 and 20 which provide bearings for a length adjusting screw 64. Screw 64 is provided with a crank 65.

Washer fixing unit 27 includes a pair of mounting blocks 70 and 71 having sliding mounting on frame member slide rods 67 and has a screw thread connection with adjusting screw 56a which has right and left hand threads each engaging one of the mounting blocks for movement toward and away from each other when actuated by crank 60 for Varying the spacing of the mounting blocks. Mounting blocks 76 and 71 mount bearings 72 and 73 respectively which provide pivots for a pair of transfer arms 74, each transfer arm mounting a washer holding device 75 which receive the washers from washer feed units 25. Washer holding units 75 are actuated by air cylinders 76 to clamp washers 77 in position to permit the wire 40 to be fed therethrough in the operation of the machine. During the operation of the machine and, after the wire 40 has been cut by guillotine 24 and washers 77 positioned thereon, transfer arms 74 are rotated to the dotted outline position shown in FIGURE 3 to transfer the wire 40 to the washer fixing unit 27. At this position the washer holding units will release the wire which drops toth position as shown in FIGURES Zand 3.

A pair of jaw members 78 are each bearing mounted on frame slide members 67 which extend through the tie 'plates 71, and each jaw member carries a fixed tie Jaw members 78 have a gear connection 80 which facilitates the rotating action of the jaw members to coin a plurality of flats 81 on the wire 40 (FIGURE 13), the jaw members being actuated by a hydraulic cylinder 82. Moveable ties.79 each have a plurality of pins 82 which extend laterally thereof and into a complementary jaw 79a to provide'simultaneous wire gripping action with jaws 79.

Mounting blocks 71 provide suitable bearings for rock shafts 83 and 83a which have excentric portions each of which carries a bell-crank or rocker arm 84 having link connections with complementary jaws 79a and an air cylinder 85 which is also mounted to the adjacent mounting block 71.

During the operation of this portion of the machine, upon jaws 79 and 79a being actuated as aforesaid to clamp wire 40 and form the flat coining 81, shaft 83 is rotated by air cylinder 85 and the excentric portion thereof moves jaws 79a toward jaws 79 to form a bulge 86 on the wire as may be seen in FIGURE 13. The Washer fixingand bulge forming unit 27 may be actuated by screws 56 and 56a so as to position the fiats 81 and the bulges 86 at any selected position on the wire, either spaced uniformly at any distance from the mid-point thereof, or near either end as desired.

A transfer arm unit 87 is carried by each mounting block 70 and 71 and each unit includes mounting brackets 88 and 89. Each mounting bracket 89 carries a fixed bearing shaft 90 which mounts a fixed double sprocket 91. A transfer arm 92 is hearing mounted on shaft 9% and carries integral sprockets 93. The free end of each transfer arm mounts a bearing block 94 carrying a shaft 95 on which a pair of sprockets 96 are secured. A pair of chains 97 have their ends respectively secured to sprockets 96 and 91 and are crossed as seen in FIGURES 7 and 8. Sprockets 91 are of twice the diameter as sprockets 96. A Wire clamp 98 is mounted on a cylinder 99 mounted on shaft'95 for clamping onto wire 40 which is lifted by transfer arms 92 from the washer fixing unit 27 to the wire header assembly 28 when the transfer arms 92 are rotated by a pair of chains 100 carried over sprockets 93 and a pair of sprockets 101 secured on a shaft 102. Shaft 102 has gear teeth formations by which it may be rotated from a pair of rack bars 102a. By this construction when the transfer arms 92 are rotated 180 degrees, clamp cylinder 99 and clamp 98 will be rotated a full circle of 360 degrees, thus permitting release of the Wire 40 in the wire header assembly 28.

Header units 61 and 62 each comprise a pair of jaw members 103 which are rotatable on slide guideway rods 63 and actuatable by an air cylinder 104, and carry clamp jaws 105. A pair of header hammers 106 and 107 are each mounted to a frame member 108 and are actuatable by an eccentric shaft 109 by a pair of air cylinders 110. Suitable means for adjusting the position of the hammers is provided, if repeat action is necessary to form the heads 111 on the wire 40. Each header unit 61 and 62 mounts a transfer arm 112 for transferring the finished tie rods 40 from the header assembly to a tray or other receptacle. 113.

Wire straightening unit 22 comprises a pair of spaced plates 115 which provide bearing support for a pair of idler guide rollers 116. A slider 117 is slidable in a guideway 118 formed in plates 115. Slider 117 is slidable in a guideway 118. Slider 117 is threadedly connected to a screw 119 provided with a knob or handle 120 by which it is adjustably positioned in the guideway. Slider 117 mounts a roller 120 which presses against wire 40 for straightening the wire as 'it is progressed into the machine.

Operation of the machine is sequence actuated and automatic. Wire 40 is drawn through the wire straightener 22 by operation of motor 30 and wire feed rollers 37 and 37a. When the wire reaches the limit switch arm 47, switch 46 is actuated to stop the motor and the feed of the wire and, at the same time, guillotine 24 is actuated to cut the wire segment to the desired length for the tie rod formation. As the Wire is thus fed it will be threaded through the two washers held by washer units 75. After the wire segment has thus been cut, transfer arms 74 will be swung, thus moving the wire to the washer fixing unit 27 wherein the flats 81 will be formed as well as the bulges 86 on both sides of the washers 77. Transfer arms 74, upon returning to the original position, will position washer holding units in position to receive a succeeding pair of washers 77 from the washer feed unit 25, the terminal end portion of the feed passage being swung out of the way by hinge connection 25a to permit this action. The sequence of action from the washer fixing unit 27 to the header unit 28 is as described above.

I claim:

1. A machine for making concrete form tie-rods comprising in combination:

a frame;

means (A) for feeding a strand of wire onto said frame;

means (B) for inserting said strand of Wire through a spaced pair of washers;

means (C) for cutting said strand of wire into tie rod segments;

means (D) for securing said washers at predetermined positions on said segments;

means (E) for forming heads on the ends of said segments;

means (F) for removing the tie rod segments from said frame.

2. Structure according to claim 1 wherein said means are all automatically actuated.

3. Structure according to claim 2 including means for transferring said segment from said means (B) to said means (D).

4. Structure according to claim 2 including means for transferring said segment from said means (D) to said means (E).

5. Structure according to claim 2 including means for transferring said segment from said means (E) to said means (F).

6. Structure according to claim 2 wherein said means (D) comprises means for forming bulges on said strand.

7. Structure according to claim 1 including means for straightening said wire as it is being fed by means (A).

8. Structure according to claim 2 including means for positioning said washers at said means (B).

9. Structure according to claim 2 wherein said means (A) is motor actuated, and a limit switch for determining the length of said segments.

10. Structure according to claim 9 including means to vary the length of said segments.

11. Structure according to claim 6 including means to vary the positions of said bulges along said segment.

12. Structure according to claim 2 wherein said means (D) comprises means for forming flats on said strand.

No references cited.

RICHARD H. EANES, JR., Primary Examiner. 

1. A MACHINE FOR MAKING CONCRETE FORM TIE-RODS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A FRAME; MEANS (A) FOR FEEDING A STRAND OF WIRE ONTO SAID FRAME; MEANS (B) FOR INSERTING SAID STRAND OF WIRE THROUGH A SPACED PAIR OF WASHERS; MEANS (C) FOR CUTTING SAID STRAND OF WIRE INTO TIE ROD SEGMENTS; MEANS (D) FOR SECURING SAID WASHERS AT PREDETERMINED POSITIONS ON SAID SEGMENTS; MEANS(E) FOR FORMING HEADS ON THE ENDS OF SAID SEGMENTS; MEANS (F) FOR REMOVING THE TIE ROD SEGMENTS FROM SAID FRAME. 